


Fix My Haunted Heart

by canarycry (Frost_Iron)



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Zombies, this is not a happy story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-06-12 04:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15331377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frost_Iron/pseuds/canarycry
Summary: With a toxin released into Gotham, turning the innocent into zombies, the Bat boys must navigate a new world or try to save their old one before it's too late. Set after Death in the Family, but is AU from canon after that. Graphic descriptions of violence in later chapters.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title is taken from the song "Haunted Heart" by WILD.

The virus started in a remote area of Gotham and by the following week half of the city was infected. Quarantine had been set by the country, with walls going up around the city and no one coming in or out. They had all heard rumor that if they couldn’t find a cure, the government planned on bombing the city. 

Bruce and Damian had been in Nanda Par Bat visiting with Talia and fending off Ra’s al Ghul when the virus hit, leaving Jason, Dick, and Tim alone with Alfred to survive this. But unlike the cinematic zombie scares produced in Hollywood, the undead within Gotham still held on to their higher brain functions at least for the first week or so into their infection, making an already dangerous situation even more deadly. 

Alfred had insisted the boys stay at the manor given that it was inundated with security measures, stocked with food, and equipped with enough weapons to protect against the growing number of undead. This worked for the first few weeks but as most anyone would in a situation like this, the boys started to go stir crazy. They had been trained to help Gotham, so why not do so now in her darkest hour?

“Jason, Alfred explicitly told us not to leave. He won’t be happy to find out that you’re plotting against him.” Dick, the eldest Robin, and the one second in command to Alfred stood with his arms folded over his chest as he stared at Jason. 

“He said that  _ I  _ couldn’t go out, not that  _ Red Hood  _ couldn’t go out,” Jason smirked as he grabbed his helmet. He had been working to modify his armor to protect against anyone biting him but he hadn’t yet gotten to Dick’s. Jason noticed the concerned look on his boyfriend's face and sighed, stepping closer to the older man. They had only been dating for about a year but even still, Jason had known Dick for much longer than that and he knew when Dick was feeling anxious.

"My suit will keep me safe Dickie, and I'll stay on the comms with you the entire time, okay? --You have nothin' to worry about. We've been up against much worse and I have my guns," he stated as he cupped his lover's cheek. Despite being younger, Jason had some height on Dick and was using the angle to stare down lovingly into the older man's eyes.

Jason sighed and ran his thumb along Dick's cheek. "Look, even if I'm not out there for long, we need supplies. Alfred has a good amount of food but if people are hoarding already we need to get ahead of it. I'll be gone two hours at the most."

Dick chewed on his bottom lip before nodding. "Fine, but keep your comms open and if I tell you to come back you have to promise to listen."

"You got it Goldie," Jason whispered, giving Dick a tender kiss before stepping back to gear up. "Anythin' specific I should be lookin' for out there? Chocolate? Coffee? Maybe some lube?" Jason grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

Dick chuckled and smacked his chest lightly. "Just bring yourself back safely. --Now go before I change my mind," Dick said as he took his seat in front of the main computer to power up the comms system and check in on things down in the city.

xXx

Jason took the batwing, opting not to traverse on the ground for longer than he had to. He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in his gut knowing that they all had electricity, running water, and protection back at the manor where as anyone still alive in the city had nothing. Hell he knew they'd be lucky to have food at this point. He decided that he wouldn't go looting any homes unless things got dire back at the manor; for now he would stick to stores.

Standing on the rooftop of the clock tower, he gave a soft sigh and glanced over the edge. He could see hundreds of the undead roaming the streets aimlessly and without any purpose other than finding another human to make into their next victim. It didn't seem fair to Jason that these people had been stripped of all their humanity, just because some asshole had decided to play God. He also knew that his admittedly skewed moral compass wouldn't allow him to kill anyone that didn't try to kill him. What if they found a cure? He was praying to some God he didn't believe in for a cure before the government decided on bombing them.

He found some comfort in knowing he could quickly raid the clock tower for food and supplies as Babs had been out of town when the virus hit, and he was sure she wouldn't mind. But he planned to save that as a last resort, enjoying the sense of security it brought him just knowing they wouldn't starve.

Jason stood there for a few more minutes before he heard screams in the distance which stirred him into action. He wasn't going to let any more innocent people suffer at the hands of the infected if he could help it. Jason used his grappling hook to reach the street and found a group of kids about his own age surrounded by the undead who were closing in quick.

He grimaced as he took out the three that had begun to attack, before landing on the ground in front of the young adults. "Follow me and stay close, if we keep quiet we might be able to slip through that store over there and get to safety," he stated, checking his gun's magazine before creeping down the alley. 

The alley was clear and led directly to the back entrance of Killinger's Department Store which Jason hoped would be clear inside. If need be they could secure part of the store just long enough to get to the roof so that Jason could call in the batwing, but that all depended on getting Dick's approval to bring the group back to the manor. 

Jason picked the lock on the door and opened it slowly, looking for any signs that the infected had made it inside. Once the door was shut behind the group, Jason banged his gun on the wall beside him, knowing that if the undead were inside, the sound would draw them out. However after waiting more than ten minutes without a single sound, Jason deemed the building safe. 

"C'mon, let's settle in for the night. It seems whoever was here last secured the doors well enough to keep out both the crazies and the uninfected," He stated as he slowly released the lock on his helmet. He had a domino mask on, but if they wound up taking this crew back to the manor, he supposed his identity wouldn't be a secret for long.

Once they had all gathered some blankets and pillows, Jason lit a few candles and sat down with everyone. There were three girls and two boys in the group, but he could immediately tell that one of the guys had been their leader. 

"So...maybe introductions are in order?" Jason asked as he passed out some waters he had found to the group. "I'm your savior, Red Hood. I'll be less formal later if my better half agrees to bringing you home like the stray puppies you are," he stated with a smirk.

The leader glanced up and offered a smile. "Name's Victor Latimer, starting on my left you have Elena Moore, Maggie Lawson, Chad Ryder, and Annie Wu," he stated. Jason looked around and nodded as they each offered a small greeting and murmured thanks. 

"Why don't you all try to get some sleep while I take first watch. In the morning we'll talk about finding somewhere permanent for all of you," he added. Jason stepped just out of sight before pulling up his comms. 

"Red Hood to cave, come in."

"Reading you loud and clear Hood. --Are you being safe? Please tell me you haven't been bitten," Dick begged. 

"Relax Goldie, m'fine. It'll be a few hours before I'm home. I ran into a group of kids about Tim's age and they were about 30 seconds away from being zombie chow. I was hopin' you could run their names for me and see if they might be safe enough to bring back to the manor," he said. 

Dick pulled up a database and began running the names through the computer. "Look Jay, this might take a while. Why don't you look around where you're at for anything useful. I'll chime in when I know for sure about who these kids are," he said. "Signing off for now. --Be careful Hood."

Jason sighed and stalked back towards the group. In the short time since he'd been gone, the group had managed to find some canned food, sleeping bags, lanterns, and other supplies that could prove useful. He gave an approving nod and moved to sit down next to Annie. 

"You lot have been productive...how long have you been on your own out there?" Jason asked. He used his knife to crack open a can of Spaghettios, snorting when he noticed they were shaped like the bat symbol. Eating these cold reminded him too much of his childhood - one he had desperately tried to separate himself from. 

Annie took a sip from her water and glanced to Jason. "Only about a week...we had a place before that with my parents but--" 

The young girl's voice cracked as she broke off her thought; Jason didn't need to ask to know what had happened to Annie's family. It seemed far too common these days and made Jason glad he didn't have parents that were living through this shit.

The group fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound coming from the groans and shuffling of the undead outside and the occasional scream from someone that was out of Jason's reach to help. This city was his to protect but with all that was going on, he felt as helpless to defend Gotham as these kids were in defending themselves.

It was more than an hour later when Dick pinged Jason's comm line and he was able to step away to talk to the older man. "Give me the news Dickie...we dealin' with any psychos I should know about?" he asked.

Jason heard Dick give a soft chuckle that sounded eerily reminiscent of Bruce's before speaking. "No Jay, nothing too bad. Chad did a few days in jail for possession of marijuana, but my guess was that knowing Gotham PD, it was racial profiling," he said. "I'd say that they're safe to bring home. Though I feel compelled to point out that this is very Bruce-like of you," he snorted.

"Fuck off Dickhead. We'll be back as soon as we can. Send the Batplane to my coordinates when I ping the comms again," Jason muttered before signing off. 

Jason felt relieved that he was able to do some good in this shitty world. At the manor these kids would have easy access to food, clean water, and medical care that they would otherwise go without. He grabbed a sleeping bag from the remaining pile and set up next to the rest of the group. In the morning Jason would brief them on where they were going and how they would be getting there, but for now it was clear that these kids needed the rest they had been so deprived of for so long.

xXx

The sun was just beginning to peak over the skyscrapers (or what passed for a sunrise these days in Gotham) when Jason was roughly shaken out of his sleep by Elena. 

"Hood...please you have to wake up, they're getting in!" She shouted. Jason jumped up and looked towards the doors which had been barricaded but were now crumbling under the weight of the infected. 

"Shit...shit okay, everyone up now! We have to get to the roof!" Jason grabbed his gear and shoved his helmet back on. He tossed a gun to Victor and a knife to Elena as they seemed to be calmer than the rest of the group. "Stay behind me and kill anything that comes close!"

Jason led the way to the back of the store but based on the moans and groans he could hear from the undead behind them, they weren't moving fast enough. This group of kids had already been through enough of this hell -- he'd be damned if they went through anything more. 

He broke the lock on the back door to the stairs open and ushered everyone up, mentally counting heads as they passed him. But Jason quickly realized that he had come up one short. 

"Fuck! Maggie?! Maggie where are you?!" He shouted before glancing to the kids waiting for him on the stairs. Jason tossed another one of his guns to Chad and activated his comms. "Get up to the roof now! If I'm not there in five minutes, leave without me."

"Nightwing come in, we have a situation." Jason pulled another gun from his thigh holster and aimed it in front of him, taking out two of the closest undead. 

He cursed as he heard screams coming from the Electronics department just down the corridor. Jason kept his gun trained in front of him as he crept slowly down the hall, hoping that he could get to Maggie before the zombies did. He was so focused that he nearly jumped as the comms crackled to life in his ear.

"Jay! Jay are you hurt? What's wrong?" Dick's panicked voice echoed in Jason's ear, causing a pang in the Red Hood's heart. He couldn't stomach the idea of not making it back to his lover. 

"One of the kids got separated from the group. I need you to send the batplane to the roof of Killinger's on 5th Avenue. I've instructed them to leave without me if I can't make it back in ten minutes and I need you to let them," Jay whispered. He had learned from experience that the undead seemed to have a better sense of hearing and movement than they did when they were alive and the last thing he wanted to do was alert them to his position. 

"The batplane is ready to go when you are Jay but I'll be damned if I'm letting those kids leave you behind," Dick stated. "Now go find that girl and bring yourself back here safely."

Jason swallowed hard and nodded to himself. "Yes Sir," he mused.

He drew closer to where he had heard the screams, following a bloody trail that had his heart in his throat. When he rounded the corner Jason covered his mouth and realized why the screams had stopped. In his career as the Red Hood he had seen a lot of death but seeing this young girl laying on the ground with a hole torn through the middle of her body, her dull eyes wide, and her mouth open in a perpetual scream shook Jason to the core. 

The undead hovering over Maggie hadn't yet noticed Jason so he took the opportunity to sneak up on them, driving a knife through the brains of the zombies that were still focused on consuming the young girl's flesh.

He stood, his jacket covered in blood from people he never should have had to kill. 

"--Hood! Hurry they're coming!" Victor shouted from the stairs.

Jason pushed the images of Maggie out of his mind before rushing back towards the stairs. He had to dodge left and right to avoid the zombies charging at him.

When he finally approached the staircase, he saw the brief glimpse of hope in Elena's eyes as she looked for Maggie, followed by a look of pure anguish when she noticed that Jason was covered in blood.

"She was gone before I even got to her...I'm sorry Elena but if we have any hope of surviving the next 10 minutes, we need to leave now," Jason said as he secured the door behind them and led the group up to the roof.

The roof was blissfully without the undead but the batplane wasn't there yet either.

"Shit...c'mon Dickie where are you?" he muttered under his breath. He could hear the zombies trying to break through the door down below -- they didn't have much time.

Just as the door to the stairs started to give way, Jason heard the roar of the batplane approaching. When it was hovering close enough to the roof, he ushered the kids over.

"Get on the plane now! Go go go!" Jason shouted, taking a few shots at the undead that were rushing at them before hopping on the plane himself. It wasn't until the ramp to the plane had closed and they were heading back to the manor, that he allowed himself to collapse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of smut in this chapter towards the end!

It was dark outside when Jason woke, slightly disoriented by his surroundings. It took more than a few minutes to realize that he was in his own bed within the manor, but that he was alone instead of finding his lover asleep in the bed next to him. He frowned and slowly stood, his body protesting with aches and pains.

The pain began to dull as he pulled on a shirt and realized that someone (hopefully Dick) had changed him out of the blood covered clothing he had passed out in. Things seemed quiet as Jason crept downstairs, making it to the dining room before he heard some hushed voices and the soft clinking of silverware against china.

When Jason walked in he saw the small group of kids he had rescued, joined for dinner by Tim and Alfred who seemed to be keeping an eye on the newcomers. Alfred glanced up and met Jason's gaze.

"Master Jason, if you're hungry there is a plate for you in the oven. Perhaps you could take Master Dick's plate to him downstairs. He asked me to make sure you went to see him once you woke. --He was able to reach Master Bruce," he added.

Jason rolled his eyes a little and sighed. "That should be a real fuckin' treat...thanks Al," he added. Jason turned to Tim and the group with a careful smile; they had only recently lost one of their friends and Jason was still feeling a modicum of guilt over it.

"How's everyone doing? Settling in okay?" he asked as he took a bottle of water from the table and glanced around.

Everyone stayed quiet except for Victor who gave Jason a small but grateful smile. "We're shaken up but thankful to have a safe place to recover. --I think we're all a little shocked that you live here though," Victor said softly.

Jason briefly wondered if they had connected the pieces between Bruce Wayne and Batman but that was a bigger problem for another day. He finished the water and stood, looking at Tim with a knowing glance that let the Red Robin know that he was to keep an eye on the group for the rest of the day.

"Well if you need anything just talk to Alfred...he's in charge of the place so don't cause trouble for him or you're answering to me." Jason got nods from the group which calmed him enough for the immediate moment.

Once he had grabbed the plates and some silverware from the kitchen, he entered the batcave through the clock and walked down the stairs where he overheard Dick speaking to Bruce. The Batman's voice still made Jason feel on edge even years later, but he forced back the contempt he felt and went to stand behind Dick in solidarity.

"Jason, good to see you pulled through," Bruce greeted, face emotionless.

"I'm sure you care so much about my well-being Bruce, but we both know that's not why you worked so hard to get a signal through," Jason replied with some snark.

Bruce didn't dignify what Jason said with a response, but instead cleared his throat and continued. "As I was informing Dick before, I've narrowed down the source of the virus to Scarecrow's fear toxin. It has been amplified and dispersed through saliva rather than through the air, making it much easier for the victims to spread with a bite. However as I am sure you have seen, it doesn't stop there. While some only bite their victim and move on, others consume...I can't imagine the horrors you've been seeing out there," he said.

Jason grunted. "It's not pretty. I picked up a group when I was out last night...they're down one friend because I wasn't fast enough," he muttered. Dick reached out and took his hand, squeezing gently just to let Jason know he was there.

"What can you tell us about the freaks that come back to life with super strength? They've been the biggest problem," Jason added.

Bruce glanced down at his screen and nodded. "The toxicology report that Dick sent me, collected from the blood found on your uniform revealed that the toxin is laced with Bane's Venom. It seems to be affecting approximately 10% of all of the victims."

"Fuckin' wonderful," Jason sighed. "I don't suppose you have any lead on where Scarecrow might be hiding out? If he's left Gotham we're fucked. The walls that Big Brother put up to keep everyone in are at least 100 feet high and they're monitored 24/7. Anyone that gets close risks getting shot," he stated.

"--Tt if Scarecrow was outside of Gotham, we would have handled him already Todd." Damian sneered as he appeared behind Bruce.

"No one asked you demon brat," Jason muttered. "We'll track him down. I'll gear up tomorrow with Tim and do a little recon. Dick can stay here and monitor our new group of friends," he added.

Bruce remained silent for a few moments as if analyzing Jason's plans. In the end he simply nodded his head. "Be vigilant out there. --Dick I want you to analyze the toxin for a cure and get back to me when you have some results. I'll check in later," Bruce said before the screen went dark, leaving the two lovers alone in the cave.

Jason shook his head and sighed. He was used to this abrupt behavior by his adoptive Dad so it didn't phase him much. Jason grabbed the two plates of dinner and walked back over to Dick. "Eat up, Alfred worked hard on it and he'll kick my ass if I can't get you to eat. None of us need a second Bruce," he muttered.

Jason eagerly dug in to Alfred's lasagna and leaned back in his chair, feet up on Bruce's desk. "So have you had a chance to meet the newbies? We lost one of them on the way back...poor kid didn't look any older than Damian," he stated.

Dick squeezed Jason's shoulder gently as he took up the seat next to him. "I'm sure you did your best little wing, and you did manage to save the rest of them. --I'm sure they understand," he whispered. The pair lapsed into a comfortable silence for a while before Dick spoke again.

"The analysis should hopefully lead to a cure within a few days. If you and Timmy manage to track Scarecrow down before that, we could speed things up provided he has a cure manufactured which, let's face it, I'm sure he does since he's too egotistical to allow himself to turn into one of those  _ things, _ " Dick said, shuddering as he spoke.

"Those  _ things _ are people Dickhead, and I plan on savin' as many as I can. Gotham is a shit hole but she's our shit hole and I'm not letting Scarecrow take his virus world wide. This shit ends here," Jason stated firmly. There was a look in his eyes akin to the ones he used to get just after returning from the Lazarus Pit; it was one of pure anger and the desire for vengeance.

Dick sighed and placed a kiss to Jason's temple. "We will Jaybird...we'll end it just like we always do," he whispered. "Look it's late we both need a little rest if we're going to try and save the world," Dick added. "Why don't we head upstairs to bed?" He asked.

Jason smirked and grabbed Dick, pulling him in by the waist. "To bed or  _ to bed _ ?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Dick grinned and moved to sit in Jason's lap, leaning in for an amorous kiss that turned into a makeout session. Soon enough Jason was half-hard and arching up against Dick for some friction but it wasn't nearly enough to get the younger man off.

"Dickie," Jason panted against his lover's neck. "We need to move this to a bed so I can fuck you," he moaned. He stood, lifting Dick into his arms with him. The elevator to the upstairs was only a few steps away and thankfully Dick was light enough that Jason was still able to kiss him here and there on the way up.

He stopped once and nearly slammed Dick up against the wall. "Fuck...I haven't been this hard in a while golden boy," he moaned. Dick's crotch was pressed up against Jason's causing both of them to moan when either of them shifted. "I should take you right here where anyone could see or hear," Jason purred.

"Oh god little wing... _ Jay _ ," Dick whined. "Put me down for a sec," he whispered. Jason nodded and let Dick to his feet, only to watch the older man slip to his knees.

"Dickie what--" Jason was cut off as within a matter of seconds his sweatpants were around his ankles and Dick's lips were wrapped around the head of his cock.

"Holy shit baby, I always forget that you have no gag reflex," Jason groaned, his head falling back against the wall behind him with a thump. He threaded his calloused fingers through Dick's hair, which Dick seemed to enjoy based on the way that his eyes fluttered closed. Jason knew he should be focusing on the immense amount of pleasure Dick was providing, but all he could think about was how beautiful his lover was and how much he'd be lost without him in this fucked up world.

Suddenly the warmth around his cock was gone, pulling Jason from his thoughts. When he looked down he saw Dick's intensely blue eyes staring back at him.

"What? Why'd you stop?" Jason asked.

Dick placed a kiss to Jason's thigh and smiled. "You looked lost in thought...I wanted to be sure you were into this," Dick whispered.

Jason pulled Dick up to his feet and rested a hand on the back of the older man's neck. "I am always into you, I'm just distracted. Everything going on with the city has my mind spinning," Jason murmured. "But I wouldn't say no to you distracting me from my distractions," he grinned, hands on Dick's shoulders as he slowly pushed his lover back down to his knees.

Dick chuckled and nodded. "I see how it is," he mused. Dick shifted and leaned closer to Jason, his eyes locked on the man above him. He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, waiting for Jason to take control.

"Oh fuck Dickie," Jason groaned and wrapped one hand around his cock and the other on the back of Dick's head, easing the length of his cock all the way down Dick's throat. He shifted to hold Dick's head in his hands as he began to rock his hips forward, fucking his mouth just the way he knew Dick liked.

With his eyes closed and head tipped back against the wall, both men found themselves so lost in the moment that they didn't notice someone creep past them down the stairs, slipping into the obsidian shadows within the corridors of the manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling nervous about this one in regards to how people are liking it, so if you do can you please let me know! Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot is starting to pick up!

Jason stretched and yawned as the morning light began to peek through the curtains in the bedroom that he shared with Dick. He could feel the older man sprawled out next to him but the warmth that made him feel safe and secure began to drain away when he heard a warning alarm off in the distance towards the center of Gotham. The alarms came from deep within Arkham Asylum and they went off every day at 5AM to alert everyone that the inmates were no longer housed inside.

He rubbed his face and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he forced his body to wake. "Dickie wake up...we have to get going," he added. The only safe time to move around the city was during the day when their challenges were plain to see. Having gone out at night last time had proved dangerous and Jason wasn't eager to risk any of their lives again just to gather some extra food and supplies. 

Jason padded over to the TV and turned it on, sighing as all that appeared was a warning to stay inside, provided by the government that was still funneling minimal power into the city. It was sporadic but thankfully the manor had a generator to keep things running smoothly. 

When it became clear that Dick had no intention of waking up this early, Jason decided to shower and dress before heading down to find Tim so they could discuss a plan of attack for later that day so that they knew how to best investigate Scarecrow. Tim never really slept so it wasn't much of a surprise to Jason when he found the younger man sitting in front of the Batcomputer.

"You sit in front of that screen any longer and you're going to become part of the computer," Jason mocked as he walked to pour himself a cup of coffee before taking up a seat next to Tim. 

"Why don't you save your snark for someone who hasn't just located Scarecrow's hideout?" Tim replied, a smirk brightening up his face. The bags under his eyes and ruffled appearance let Jason in on just how stressed Tim was. He only ever got a good night's sleep when nothing was wrong in the city, but with Scarecrow's attack, Tim hadn't slept more than a few hours in weeks.

"Talk to me Timmers. Don't keep a guy waitin'," Jason leaned forward in anticipation. He could practically feel the weight of a gun in his hand; he could smell the gunpowder in the air and he could hear the pathetic begging that Scarecrow would undoubtedly do when it came time for him to answer for his crimes.

Tim tapped a few keys on the tablet in front of him and brought up his intel to the main screen.

"After narrowing down the spread of the virus, I've managed to backtrack the initial release to this warehouse here, just outside of Crime Alley. My guess is that he has at least enough of an antidote to recreate it and disperse it through the air. --We need to work fast though, take a look at this," he nodded towards the other screen.

"The virus is getting worse. I've been studying the blood sample you brought back and if we don't get a handle on this thing soon, there won't be any hope for bringing back anyone who's already been turned. It's causing cell degradation at an alarming rate," he said, a grim look on his face.

Jason folded his arms over his chest and swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"How much time are we looking at?" Jason asked hesitantly.

Tim glanced down, a soft breath leaving his mouth before he pulled up a countdown.

The screen flashed -- bright red numbers counted down in front of his eyes. And when Jason saw the final number, he cringed. 

"3 days? We have three fucking days to make an antidote and get it to the people or this shit is permanent?" He questioned only to earn a small nod from Tim.

Tim cleared his throat and frowned. "On top of the obvious awful repercussions of losing a lot of innocent lives...the Justice League has only been able to guarantee Gotham's safety until the end of the day Friday. If we can't prove that we have a cure by then...they're going to nuke the city," he whispered somberly. 

"And naturally we're all trapped inside this shit hole of a city," he muttered. "Fan-fucking-tastic," he added as he slumped back into his seat.

"Okay well there's not much we can do until it gets dark. Scarecrow would see us coming from a mile away otherwise. --Go get some sleep and we'll gear up after dinner," Jason stated. 

Jason took the stairs two at a time to get back to Dick and the others, wanting to know more about what they had seen during their time on the streets. If he could locate some additional food stores, it would be beneficial to them. Jason also considered that maybe one of them saw a way out of the city even if it meant going through the sewers. If they couldn't save Gotham in time, he sure as hell wasn't about to go down with the ship.

He was emerging from the clocktower when he bumped into Victor. Jason frowned a little and closed off the door, allowing it to seal shut behind him. "You shouldn't be in here, this is Bruce's office," he stated. "I'm sure Alfred has made breakfast by now, why don't you go locate your group and join them?"

Victor peered behind Jason in the director of the batcave. "What's down there?" He asked. 

Jason took Victor's arm and physically led him out of the room. "Nothin' and none of your business. Just storage," he stated. 

Victor sneered a little and yanked his arm away from Jason's grasp. "You seem to be going to great lengths to keep me away from storage," he spat. 

Jason glared and shut the door behind him. "Look, you're stayin' here because I saved your ass. So drop the attitude and we'll all get along just fine. You know damn well what I do for a night job, so I would think twice before crossing me."

He watched as Victor's face shifted from one of contempt to a blank mask. There was something off about this kid, but Jason didn't have the time to worry about that when the city was on the verge of destruction. 

"Whatever bro, I was only looking for you to tell you that breakfast is ready," Victor spat. Jason watched him walk off in the direction of the dining room and once he was gone he let out a sigh. Having extra people in the house wouldn't ordinarily be a problem but Jason was already on edge having to hunt down Scarecrow and dealing with people he didn't know getting too close to their secrets.

Jason rubbed a hand over his face. He should head to breakfast but it was also tempting to run back down to the cave to investigate Victor a little more. There was something off about the kid that Dick obviously hadn't found when he had researched the group the night before. He turned around and began to open the clocktower when he heard the trademarked disgruntled throat clear of one Alfred Pennyworth.

"Whatever it is you plan to do, can wait until after you have eaten a proper breakfast Master Jason. --I will hear no arguments either, so come to the table please," Alfred said, hands folded neatly behind his back. Jason sighed and let his hand off the door before nodding.

"Is Dick there? He was still sleeping when I went down to talk to Tim." Jason folded his arms over his chest, stifling a chill. The manor seemed colder than usual since the incident with Scarecrow went down. With the generator working overtime to keep the electricity on, the heat had fallen by the wayside.

Alfred led Jason towards the dining room with a nod. "Yes Master Jason, I even managed to rouse Master Dick in time to join the group for breakfast. I found that he was quite easily tempted with the smell of bacon and coffee," the older man mused. 

Jason smiled and walked into the large dining room where everyone seemed to be speaking in hushed tones. Though there was no need to be quiet in the manor, given that they were secure here, the fear of drawing the undead was clearly instilled in all of them, particularly in the group of survivors Jason had brought home with him. 

Once he was seated with a plate in front of him, Jason cleared his throat. The whispering stopped and all eyes were now on him.

"Tim and I need to go out there tonight, so I need the rest of you sticking around here to help Alfred with chores. Victor and Annie, I'd like you two to inventory the food and supplies, Elena and Chad you two are in charge of going around and making sure the doors and windows are secure. Dick you'll be on monitor duty and Alfred will be watching over all of you. Sound reasonable?" He asked. 

He received nods in return and a half-awake grunt from Tim so all seemed to be going according to plan. 

xXx

Jason waited until around 9PM that evening when the darkness had truly settled in over Gotham before he found his way back to the cave. Dick was already set up in front of the computers and Tim was putting on his Red Robin gear.

"So what's the plan Timmers? --Also I won't hear complaints from either of you two numskulls about the absolutely  _ lethal _ force I'll be using, got it? Keep your traps shut," Jason said as he pulled on his gear. Alfred had thankfully washed away all traces of Maggie's death.

Tim secured his domino mask and sighed. "We have less than three days to track Scarecrow down, make an antidote for the virus, and disperse it to the city. If we can't prove that the city is uninfected and safe for reentry, the government  _ will _ nuke Gotham. We're talking mass casualties including our own," he stated.

"Per the information we've received from Bruce, we believe that we have Scarecrow's last known location so we're going to hit there first. My guess is that he wasn't dumb enough to stay in one location, but if it's a place secured from his own virus, there's a chance he's still there," Tim added. 

Jason nodded and put on his helmet before passing a rebreather that had been retrofitted to fit over the nose and mouth over to Tim. "We're not taking any risks tonight. Don't want you going all psycho zombie on me, so keep that on your face at all times Replacement."

Tim rolled his eyes but complied, not wanting to turn into the undead. Once they were both ready and outfitted with communication devices, they hopped into the Batmobile. While both of them were more comfortable on bikes, the security of the car offered them more protection from the undead roaming the streets. 

The roar of the engine echoed down the street as the batmobile tore through Gotham and into the Bowery. Jason parked the car a few blocks from the building to avoid suspicion and glanced to the passenger seat. "Triple check your uniform before you get out of the car Replacement, don't need your death on my conscience tonight," Jason muttered as he gave his own uniform a once over. 

Tim rolled his eyes but obeyed the command nonetheless. Neither of them wanted to add to Gotham's growing undead population. 

Once checked and ready, Jason and Tim grappled up to the roof of the building across from Scarecrow's suspected hideout. Tonight would normally have just been a stakeout without infiltrating, but they didn't have time to wait. Tim laid down on the roof of the building and used the scope on one of Jason's rifles to peer into the decrepit warehouse windows across the street. 

"I think I see movement inside," Tim whispered. "Unclear on if it's Scarecrow or just one of his lackeys though," he added. 

Jason nodded and took a look for himself before standing. "I think we need to take the risk and look either way. The building is secured tightly, so I doubt we're walkin' into a pit of zombies. It's more likely that this has something to do with Scarecrow," he stated.

Once he put his helmet on and secured it, Jason set up the line launcher and fired a line across the street and into the brick facade of the building. 

"This should hold. I want you to come in through the roof, and we'll meet on the bottom floor. We can't take any chance that this bastard escapes," Jason said as he finished checking his guns. 

Tim nodded and waited until Jason managed to make it to the roof before he took hold of the line launcher and stuck his legs out in front of him to ensure that the window would shatter. 

He landed on his feet gracefully, the shards of glass falling around him in a circle. Tim immediately let off two smoke bombs before scanning the room but was left facing an empty smoke-filled room. Tim activated his comms and began to look around the room at the detritus left behind. 

"Red Robin to Red Hood, over," Tim spoke.

Jason looked around at his also empty room and sighed. "I'm on my way to you now," Jason muttered as he made his way down a few floors to what appeared to be a makeshift laboratory that had been abandoned in a haste. Jason took off his helmet and tucked it under his arm to get a closer look at the things left behind.

"Take a sample to run back at the cave," he told Tim, passing over a bottle of neon green liquid. "And for both of our sake, please don't get that on yourself," he added. 

Tim rolled his eyes but took the bottle with caution and tucked it into a secure case. "They were obviously here. How far do you think they've gotten?" he asked.

Jason sighed and picked up a coffee mug that had been left carelessly on the edge of a table. The contents inside were still warm.

"Not long. They were warned...we need to get back to the manor.  _ Now _ ."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, if you like the story please let me know! Comments/Kudos go a long way towards letting me know you're enjoying something!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little graphic violence in this chapter.

Dick woke from his awkward slumber with a start. There was a panic alarm going off somewhere within the manor and it was the blaring siren that finally pried Dick from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and began to panic as he searched the screen for the source of the alarm.

His heart raced as he located the alarm which had come from Alfred. Dick couldn't remember even falling asleep...but he did remember having a cup of tea with the other guests right before coming down to the cave. Was it possible that someone had drugged him?

Dick grabbed his escrima sticks and hurried to the stairs, not noticing that someone had tampered with the now finished cure. 

He tried using all of his training to remain stealthy but the effects of whatever he was drugged with seemed to be taking a toll on his ability to be graceful. Dick stumbled out of the clock and into a manor which was cast in such deep darkness that he could hardly see his hand in front of his face. 

"What's going on?" Dick wondered absently. Thankfully Bruce had trained every Robin to maneuver blindly through the manor and so Dick made it to the kitchen in under 3 minutes. The emergency lighting was off but Dick was quick to grab a flashlight from the cupboard under the sink. As he stepped further into the room he slipped in something wet and landed hard with a thud on the tile floor.

The flashlight flickered as it fell to the floor beside Dick. The light rolled through the viscous liquid on the floor before stopping, illuminating the body that remained still in a pool of blood. 

"Alfred!" Dick screamed as he scrambled through the crimson blood, the smell of copper heavy in the air. His hands shook as he grabbed a towel and pressed it to the wound on the butler's head. "Please...no no Alfie you can't die," he choked.

There were no emergency services to be called and Gotham had been on lockdown so that meant the only outgoing call Dick could make would be from the cave, and there's no way Alfred would survive that trip down. Dick looked around the room for anything that could be used to contact his brothers, but his eyes fell upon a shadow standing ominously in the doorway.

"Stand up slowly," the voice spoke darkly. 

The shadow shifted and stepped into the kitchen. The light from the flashlight still abandoned on the ground caught the shimmering metal of the gun that the shadowy figure was holding, causing Dick to draw back just a bit with his hands up in the air.

"Victor...you did this? But why? After all we've done for you?!" Dick yelled, eyes narrowed as his would-be attacker stepped into the light. 

He heard Victor scoff before impossibly strong hands gripped Dick's arm and yanked him forward, the gun still trained at his head. "All you've done for me? Do you  _ actually _ think that I needed your help? No no no, you're pretty but you're supremely stupid," Victor mused as he pushed Dick along towards the back door. 

Dick gave one last glance towards Alfred's motionless body before he was unceremoniously shoved onto the expansive manor grounds. Victor had a grip on Dick's arm so tight that it nearly felt inhuman in strength. What the hell was to be gained here? 

"Look if you want money, we've got plenty...just take me to the vault and I'll open it for you. Just don't hurt anyone else," Dick began to plead, only to receive a swift blow to the back of his head with the end of the gun.

"Shut up Grayson. I have plenty of money," he hissed. "Don't you find it the least bit suspicious that you so easily fell asleep earlier? Or that the antidote was destroyed? --You're so simple minded that you probably didn't even notice, did you?" Victor sneered. They were rapidly approaching the crypt that held Martha & Thomas Wayne's bodies, and the now empty grave of Jason Todd. 

"The antidote? Why wouldn't you want to help the city?" Dick asked. It was easier to keep himself alive if he allowed the would-be villain to monologue at him. He watched as Victor kicked in the gate to the crypt and tossed Dick inside, his body landing on the floor with a thud. 

"You really have no idea who I am, do you? --I suppose this is the part where I'm supposed to give a long talk about my motives and try to get you to empathize with me, all while you look for a way to distract me, hmm?" Victor sneered and pulled a large knife from seemingly nowhere. The grin that grew upon Victor's face did nothing to assuage the uneasiness that had settled into Dick's chest. 

"You hurt Alfred, there's nothing you could say to make me empathize with you," Dick spat. His head was throbbing from where he'd been hit and the drugs that Victor had put in his tea weren't helping him any. 

Dick felt the cool steel of the blade plunge through his stomach before he saw it. Victor had moved too fast for him and with Dick feeling so sluggish, he hadn't been able to stop the attack. He gasped as the sharp, intense pain set in and whimpered as the blade was just as quickly pulled from the wound. It was all Dick could do to keep his hands over the deep incision, blood seeping out from between his fingers.

"I suppose I have time to monologue now...though I'll have to be quick," Victor stated with a smirk. He leaned against the wall but kept the gun trained on Dick.

"My name is Victor Crane. I believe you know my father as Scarecrow," he mused. "Unfortunately my father saw me only as a test subject for his current project and as a result I was left behind to rot in this shithole of a city while he made his merry way to Bludhaven. He's the only one with the antidote now that I've ruined your little experiment." Victor paused and canted his head to the side as if considering something. 

"I think I'll give your family a little  _ taste _ of this virus first hand," He smirked. In a flash Victor was by Dick's side, giving Dick his first good look of the man up close. His eyes were a violent shade of red and his skin was a shocking shade of white, every vein visible on the surface. He looked just like the first stage of zombies, except he had the mental faculties to continue functioning.

Dick cried out as sharp teeth pierced the flesh on his upper arm, leaving another gaping wound on his body. The blood loss was starting to overpower him but he was determined not to die. However he wasn't dumb enough to think that this bite wouldn't affect him in some way.

Victor stepped back and wiped his mouth. "By the time anyone finds you, you'll be another one of those mindless drones, concerned only with their next meal. Who knows? Maybe it'll be your precious Red Hood," he spat.

Dick watched through lidded eyes as Victor stepped out of the crypt and locked him inside. 

"Bye bye birdie, enjoy the undead afterlife. I have a virus to go spread." Victor was gone in a blur, leaving Dick to bleed out in the same place where the rest of Bruce's loved ones laid peacefully.

Dick pulled together enough energy to glance at the camera that he knew was in the corner of the crypt. He forced a smile, tasting blood in his mouth that had traveled up from the wound in his stomach.

"Jay...I'm sure you heard all of that so I won't repeat it. I don't--" He paused to cough, wincing as blood poured out of the wound in his abdomen.

"I don't have a lot of time. I love you...I've loved you for so long. I'm sorry that we didn't get to grow old together like we planned but I loved you so much and I'm grateful I had the chance," he whispered. "Can you look away now? I need this to be for Bruce," he murmured.

Dick managed to reach into his pocket and pulled out a blood-soaked velvet ring box. "B...I won't be myself when you find this. But I want Jason to have this...I was going to give it to him soon but I never found the right time," he murmured, another cough quickly wracking his body. 

"Tell little D that I love him, and that he needs to keep trying to get along with his brothers," he murmured. Dick's eyes began to close slowly as the last of his life drained out of him.

"M'sorry Dad...I tried. I love yo--" Dick's eyes fluttered to a close finally as his heart stopped beating and silence fell over the manor grounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I knew what you were all thinking! Let me know if you have opinions/comments.


	5. Chapter 5

It was early morning in Nanda Par Bat when Bruce received a notification that someone had been into the crypts. Leaving Damian behind in the room they had been sharing, he crept out onto the balcony and pulled up the camera feed. But what he saw on the live feed shattered his heart into a million tiny shards. 

"Dick....oh Dick," he whispered. Bruce forced his emotions back quickly as he heard movement behind him. 

"What is wrong with Richard?" Damian asked, a small frown on his young face. His hair was sleep ruffled causing him to look much younger than his 12 years. Bruce's heart ached knowing how hard Damian would take this.

"He needs my help. I need you to stay here with your Mother, do you understand me?" Bruce used his firm Batman voice, hoping Damian wouldn't be so quick to disobey him.

Damian's frown deepened but he nodded slowly. "Yes Father. Will you return for me?" He asked, clearly afraid that he was going to be abandoned here.

Bruce knelt in front of his son and wrapped his arms around him gently, sensing a slight amount of hesitation from a child that was unused to affection. "I'll be back for you as soon as I can Damian. I need you to be safe here in the meantime. That's an order," he murmured. Bruce stood and softly stroked his son's messy black hair. It was as close to expressing his love for his child as Bruce was able to get.

Mere moments later Batman leapt off the balcony, swaths of black fabric swishing in the air behind him. He had to get to Gotham before he lost anyone else.

xXx

Jason and Tim had just reached the Batmobile when their comms began to ping from the Batwing. Jason frowned and quickly opened the channel.

"Red Hood, Red Robin are you safe?" Batman's voice crackled out over the speakers. Jason could immediately hear the concern in his voice and if Batman was worried it meant something had gone wrong.

"We're fine. We're on our way back to the manor now. The lead on Scarecrow was a bust," He stated. 

"I'm on my way back to Gotham. I'm going to the Watchtower and I'll take a zeta tube to the cave. I'll meet you there in 10 minutes," he stated before he cut off the feed.

Jason glanced at Tim and swallowed down the lump in his throat. He activated their comms and tried to get through to the Batcave but found no response from Dick.

"Fuck!" Jason slammed his hand against the steering wheel and pushed his foot further down on the gas pedal. Tim simply glanced on, trying not to express his own worry.

The Batmobile roared into the cave at the same time that the zeta tube allowed Bruce into the cave. Jason hopped out of the car and rushed up to Bruce, anger present on his face and in the way he was holding his body.

"What do you know?! Where's Dick?!" He shouted, his face mere inches from Batman's cowl. Jason had lost the helmet somewhere along the line so the emotion in his eyes was present even through the domino mask. Tim had jogged past Jason and was over at the computer console, cursing softly.

"Someone destroyed the cure...we don't have time to make another!" He exclaimed angrily. Tim then turned to Bruce and frowned. "Why isn't Dick here? He was supposed to be keeping track of our location when we were out."

As Tim stared Bruce down, it was clear to him even through the cowl that the bat was trying to school his emotions. Something akin to dread filled Tim's chest and he wasn't quick enough to shut down the look on his face before Jason picked up on it.

"Where is he?!" The scream tore from Jason's throat and he nearly lunged at Bruce before the bat held up a hand and simply motioned for Jason to follow him. Tim hung back, knowing this moment wasn't meant for him.

Jason followed Bruce as they walked in the direction of the crypts, tension hanging in the air between them. "Where the fuck are you takin--" Jason cut himself off when they reached the large granite building and he saw a bloody handprint on the door that was roughly the size of Dick's hand. A pit formed in his stomach but he rushed forward, about to open the door when Bruce stopped him.

"Jason...he's--" Bruce began but Jason held up a hand.

"Don't you fuckin' dare finish that sentence." Jason's voice cracked a little as he choked on the lump forming in his throat. Cautiously Jason approached the door again and slowly pried it open. It was dark inside and Jason could barely see, but someone was in there and moving, that much he knew.

"Dickie?" He called softly. Jason stood still as the figure in the shadows began to move towards him. He stepped back on to the grass, the early morning sun just beginning to peak out. For a moment Jason began to feel hope, a smile even starting to appear on his face before the figure stepped into the light.

A guttural groan left the body that had once belonged to Dick Grayson. The new zombie shuffled towards the two living men, arms outstretched to try and grab on to one of them for his next meal. Jason stood stock still, barely breathing as he looked for any remaining part of his lover. But even those once bright blue eyes were clouded over and dim. Dick Grayson was dead and in his place was a mindless drone, focused only on tearing into flesh.

"Jason we have to...we should take pity on him and put him out of this misery." Bruce's voice was barely a whisper, his eyes focused on the now dead son that was limping towards them slowly.

Jason's head whipped to look at Bruce, anger swelling up inside of him. "No! No we can get the cure! We can bring him back!" He exclaimed, pulling a gun and aiming it at Bruce. "Don't fucking touch him," he hissed.

Bruce sighed and took another step away from Dick. "Jason, son look at his wounds," he began, eyes sad as he pushed the cowl back so Jason could see his face. "He wouldn't survive the cure and you would just be prolonging his pain. Please Jason...I can't watch my sons suffer like this," Bruce pleaded. "If you don't want to do it I...I can."

Jason dropped the gun a little, screaming in frustration and sorrow. "I can't...I can't. Dickie please, isn't there some part of you in there?" He begged, choking on his own sobs. Dick of course did little more than continue to shuffle towards his lover, aiming for his next victim.

As Bruce began to move towards Jason to get the gun, a loud gunshot echoed through the manor grounds. The bat watched as both of his sons collapsed at the same time, one lifeless and one loveless now. Jason knelt on the ground, screaming and crying as he held Dick's body in his arms. Bruce took a step closer to the pair, but the growl from Jason caused him to falter.

"Don't. Touch. Him," he hissed. "I'll bury him myself," he mumbled. 

For lack of anything better to do, Bruce rested a hand on Jason's shoulder, nodding as silent tears ran down the older man's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are enjoying this so far?


	6. Chapter 6

Jason wasn't sure how much time had passed between driving a bullet between his lover's dead eyes and when Tim pinged their comms but he knew that as much as he wanted to stay with Dick, they needed to go track down a cure before the government nuked the entire city. Another part of him, one really deep, dark buried part wanted them to destroy everything so he wouldn't have to face a day without the ball of sunshine that Dick Grayson had once been. 

Tim pinged them again when no one answered, until Bruce broke from his own trance and cleared his throat. "What is it Tim?" He asked, trying to hide his emotions again. 

"Dick he..." there was a pause in Tim's speech as he sniffled a little before continuing. "He left a video. Victor, the kid who was staying here did this. Apparently he is Scarecrow's son and he left after killing Dick to find his Dad. Victor said that Scarecrow is in Bludhaven with the cure," he whispered. 

Bruce clenched his jaw and cursed softly under his breath. "Thank you Tim. Jason and I will gear up and go. I need you to stay behind and monitor Alfred. His wounds seemed superficial enough, but he needs care. --Be ready to synthesize an antidote when we get it." 

Jason glanced back to Bruce slowly, a steely look of determination in his teal eyes. "I want my hands on Scarecrow and his fucking spawn first," he spat. He gently laid Dick down and grabbed a shovel from the garden shed, intending to dig his lover a grave. Bruce attempted to help but Jason quickly waved him off.

"Need to do this myself." Jason sniffled as he finished digging the grave, just deep enough to protect Dick's body until things settled down and he could have a proper burial. He walked back to Dick's body and lifted him slowly and gently, but before he could lower his lover into the shallow grave, Bruce stopped him. 

"He left a video...you can watch it later but--" Bruce sighed and pulled the small blood covered box out of Dick's pocket and opened his hand so Jason could see. "He wanted you to have this." Bruce's voice was soft as he was clearly trying not to further upset the boy who had been his first loss after his parents. The older man watched as Jason's face contorted in pain and the tears started to fall again. It was clear that his son was trying hard to be strong in the face of something so difficult, but to Bruce Jason was still the young boy he had lost all those years ago and his emotions were present and strong. 

Jason glanced to the box once more before he gently laid Dick in the grave and put some flowers from nearby on top of the dirt once the body was covered. "I love you Dickie," Jason whispered as he rested his hand on the dirt for a moment. "I promise I'll save this city for you and when I finish, you'll...you'll have a proper resting place alongside the rest of our family," he murmured. 

He stood and wiped his face of the tears before stalking past Bruce angrily, pausing only to grab the box from his Father's outstretched hand.

xXx

Hours pass and our heroes see the inside of a freshly outfitted batplane. Jason bounced his knee anxiously, ready to go and pump an entire magazine of bullets through Scarecrow and his son. He had checked his guns multiple times on the flight to Bludhaven, but nothing could stop him from feeling the weight of the chain around his neck that now held the engagement ring he would never get to properly wear. Everything had been taken from him and now Jason was ready to deliver retribution before the grief fully consumed him. 

It had seemed that in Dick's last few graceful moments on this Earth, he had managed to plant a tracker on Victor and so it wasn't long before the batplane was hovering above a dilapidated warehouse. Jason didn't bother waiting for Bruce to instruct him on a plan -- there wasn't time for that and Jason didn't give a shit how they got the antidote, just as long as he could fulfill his promise to Dick.

Steel-toed boots landed with a heavy thud on the roof of the building and Jason knew he had to work fast to get to Scarecrow before he was alerted to their presence. He found a door and broke open the lock before creeping down the stairs to sweep each floor of the building. He knew Bruce was following close behind him, but Jason wanted to be the one to destroy everything. 

It took a few more minutes but when Jason opened the back door to the third floor of the warehouse, he finally overhead voices speaking. He crept in, staying crouched down behind some crates for the moment while he waited for Batman to get into position up overhead so that any takedown would be quick and efficient. He wasn't going to let anyone escape tonight.

Jason watched, holding his breath without realizing it as Scarecrow held up a vial of bright blue liquid. Victor rolled his eyes apparently at his Father's theatrics and grabbed the vial. "You should be thanking me right now," Victor spat. "If it wasn't for me, the entire batclan would be on your ass right now and since I killed the Red Hood's little lover, you'd probably be dead. --Instead, they're all trapped in that god forsaken city, fated to die."

A small hiss left Jason's mouth and soon he was leaping over a box with two guns pointed at each of the targets. He knew Bruce would be in motion right behind him and ready to swiftly take Scarecrow down, leaving Jason free to lunge at the man who had killed his lover. 

Victor was strong but since he had already taken the antidote, Jason was much stronger. The pair exchanged blows but it didn't take too long for Jason to get a grip on Victor, holding him by his neck against the wall. "You took  _ everything _ from me," Jason hissed through gritted teeth. He glanced back long enough to see Batman give chase to Scarecrow but his sole focus was on Victor and getting the vengeance he desired. 

"I pitied you when you needed help, we took you in when your pathetic excuse for a father abandoned you and  _ this _ is how you repay me?" Jason tore off his helmet and his domino mask hastily as his grip on Victor's neck tightened. "I want you to look me in the eyes when you take your last pathetic, gasping breath," he spat.

It infuriated Jason to no end when Victor only smirked at his threats. But it was then that he realized why Victor seemed to think he had won. A firm hand fell on Jason's shoulder, squeezing lightly.

"Don't do this Jason. Dick...he wouldn't want you to kill in his name," Bruce whispered. He had turned off the voice modulator in an attempt to soothe Jason. If he needed to be firm later on, he could be but right now he sensed that his son needed a Father, and not a leader.

"He would want to be alive!" Jason shouted. Tears formed in his teal eyes and began roll down his cheeks. "And he would be if I hadn't been stupid enough to take this fucker into our home! He knows everything about us B! We have to...I have to kill him," he choked out.

Batman stepped closer and with little effort managed to pry Jason's hand away from Victor's neck. With one swift blow the young Crane was unconscious, allowing Batman to tie him up and join Scarecrow in the containment area of the Batwing. Seeing his second oldest child begin to crumble in the aftermath of losing the man he loved caused Batman's heart to ache even through multiple layers of Kevlar.

"Let's go home Jason. It's time to fix Gotham...that's what Dick really would have wanted."

The plane ride home was silent save for the infrequent and bitten back sobs of one grief-stricken Jason Todd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for continuing to read! Please let me know how you're liking it (or if you're not!)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little shorter, the next chapter will be the epilogue!

The rest of the evening passed by in a relative blur to Jason. Tim and Bruce worked tirelessly to synthesize the antidote into an airborne one which was quickly spread over Gotham's airspace, turning those that were not beyond physical repair back into humans, and letting the rest die peacefully if their bodies were too far gone. It would still be a few more days before the Government stepped in to remove the bodies and take the barriers down but until then, it seemed as though the Bat Clan was working to help survivors find safe places to stay.

Jason had elected not to help. Alfred was back on his feet as Victor had thankfully only knocked him unconscious, and the older man had just about forced a few sedatives on Jason once they had all arrived home. The sedatives had taken over quickly, but they hadn't spared Jason from the horrifying nightmares of Dick's lifeless body lumbering towards him, eager to consume his flesh.

He had tossed and turned for hours in a fitful state of unrest before waking up to a dark and empty home. With everyone gone, Jason took the opportunity to creep down to the cave. He still felt unwelcome here, but with Bruce and Tim out and Dick....gone, Jason took the liberty to explore.

Jason was poking around the computers a bit when he bumped into a button. Suddenly voices began to fill the room.

_ "Look at me B! B, look!"  _

_ "That's great sport! What else can you do?" _

Jason glanced up at the screen, a lump forming in his throat as he saw some old footage of Dick as a young Robin. The screen cut to static before cutting to another clip. Here Dick was standing in front of a mirror, adjusting his tux.

_ “B...what if the other kids make fun of me for being Romani? Cus I look different than you?” _

Dick looked to be about 15 and seemed to be getting ready for his first formal school event. Even at a young age Dick had been a heartthrob. But the idea that anyone had picked on him just brought Jason more sorrow. Jason watched as Bruce set the camcorder down and moved to kneel in front of Dick. 

_ “You’re my son Dick. What you look like doesn’t change that. You might have to bear a lot as a Wayne but being Romani is not a cross to bear. Your parents taught you to be proud of your heritage so wear it on your sleeve like they taught you to,” Bruce whispered.  _

_ Dick launched himself into his Father’s arms and sniffled.  _

_ “I love you...Dad.” _

_ Bruce looked up at his son and simply wrapped his arms around Dick a little tighter.  _

“—I should have taken the opportunity to say it back.” Jason flinched and turned, seeing Bruce standing behind him. He was still in uniform but his cowl was pushed back to reveal the sad expression on his face. 

Jason swallowed hard and looked down. “We all had shit we should have said when we had the chance. I should have...I should have been here with him and now he’s dead. I’ll never have the chance to say goodbye,” Jason ground out through clenched teeth. 

Bruce sighed and reached over, pulling up another video. He squeezed Jason’s shoulder gently before walking off towards the showers. Jason frowned and looked back towards the screen. 

He froze when he saw Dick laying against the wall of the crypt, bleeding heavily. He was breathing but just barely as he turned his now dimmed blue eyes to the camera. 

_ "I don't have a lot of time. I love you...I've loved you for so long. I'm sorry that we didn't get to grow old together like we planned but I loved you so much and I'm grateful I had the chance—,”  _

Jason felt silent tears fall down his cheeks as he watched Dick’s final few moments before he died. In a fit of grief and rage Jason pounded his fists angrily against the keyboard, effectively destroying it. 

Behind him someone cleared their throat. “Jason—,” Tim began but Jason cut him off.

“Fuck off replacement,” he hissed. Jason grabbed his coat and stormed out. He wandered around Gotham for a few hours before sun started to peek out. It was just coming up behind the manor when Jason found himself laying down next to the shallow grave he had put Dick in. 

He cried softly as he laid there, one hand over the dirt. 

“Come back to me...why won’t you come back to me?” Jason choked out. He closed his eyes as the tears continued to fall. 

At some point Jason had passed out there and when next he woke, it was to the scent of freshly moved dirt. 

He rubbed his eyes blearily and when the sleep had faded from his body it was only then that he noticed the newly empty grave. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is folks, the epilogue to this particular story! Trigger warning for self-harm in this chapter, though nothing too in detail.

It had been a year to the day since Batman and Red Robin had spread the cure over the city. It had been almost a year since Jason had woken up to find Dick's grave empty without any explanation. 

Now he was waking up to an empty bed, with only the lingering memories of what once was to cloud his memory. He sighed and rolled out of bed to put on the suit that Alfred had picked out for him. It was a charcoal gray pant and blazer with a matching button up shirt, but the butler had been kind enough to pair it with a red tie. Jason felt the nightmares melting away from him as he put on each piece of the suit, but if he closed his eyes he would still see his dead lover lumbering towards him.

He shuddered before deciding to take a walk over to the crypts. 

xXx

Jason pushed his hands into his pockets and tried not to shiver despite the falling Autumn temperatures. As he approached the large granite mausoleum, he cleared his throat.

"We're going to be late for the hospital opening if we don't leave soon," he whispered.

The vigilante watched carefully as he was greeted by once familiar blue eyes, now tinged with a hint of green. He looked mostly the same as he had before, but the Dick that they all knew was long gone, replaced with the now more depressive, melancholy version that Damian had pulled from the Lazarus Pits a year before.

When Jason had found out what Damian had done, at first he had been excited at the prospect of having his lover back. But when he saw the former shell of Dick Grayson, moping around and acting like a ghost, Jason had cursed Damian for destroying the memories they all had of the playful older man.

"Dickie...it's not healthy for you to come out here so frequently," Jason murmured softly as he reached out to take his hand. 

Dick nodded, his floppy mess of black hair falling into his face. "I know Jay. I'm trying...B has me in to see a League approved therapist soon," he whispered. 

"Good baby, that's great. I'm sure you'll be back to feelin' like yourself in no time." Jason had been keeping a close watch on Dick lately. In the past year he'd been heartbroken to find Dick twice -- once he had tried to overdose, and the other he'd gone the more traditional way of a razor blade in the bathtub. Each time he found Dick, his heart broke just a little more.

But now it had been almost six months without an incident, and Dick was showing signs of overcoming his depression. Maybe with therapy, Jason wouldn't have to spend all of his time in a panic that he would lose the man he loved all over again. 

"C'mon then, I think today is going to help put a smile back on your face Goldie," Jason added as he led the older man towards the limo that was waiting to take them all to the hospital. 

xXx

From the moment that the limo pulled up in front of the hospital, there were constant flashes of cameras going off in every direction which worried Jason. Dick didn't do well in front of large groups of people since his death...would he react poorly to this dedication ceremony?

Jason held Dick close to him as they approached the podium and waited for Bruce to give a speech. After the dedication, Dick would cut the ribbon and there would be a short reception to follow. 

After they took their places behind Bruce, Vicki Vale introduced the man of the hour so the ceremony could begin.

Bruce cleared his throat and offered a warm 'Brucie-like' smile to the press and the crowd looking on.

"Good afternoon and thank you for joining us here at the dedication to the new Grayson Memorial Hospital for Emotional Wellness. --As many of you know, last year Gotham suffered a great tragedy and we lost a lot of truly wonderful people. For those that remained behind or were cured, dealing with the PTSD and emotions can be a struggle that is insurmountable when alone. My son Dick Grayson was among those we thought lost to us...but when we got him back, we realized none of us were trained in how to help him. So with a generous donation from Wayne Enterprises Charity division, and some other donors, today we open the Grayson Memorial Hospital for Emotional Wellness."

Bruce paused and looked back to Dick, offering a soft smile. "Every person who comes to GMH for help will be treated regardless of their ability to pay. If they have no insurance, the Wayne Enterprises Charity division will gladly cover their bill. No one will be turned away and no one will leave until they themselves feel truly capable of returning to the world. So now, without further ado, we will open the doors to this state of the art facility," Bruce finished. He handed a pair of scissors to Dick and gently squeezed his shoulder. 

Jason smiled at Dick and nodded. "You can do this Dickie," he whispered. Dick inhaled and smiled before taking the scissors from Bruce. He offered a soft smile to the press and quickly cut the red ribbon, releasing the gates to the hospital so they could be opened to the public. 

Bruce smiled at his children before turning back to the podium. "I hope you'll all join us for some light refreshments and music. If any of you would like to tour the building, tours will be running every 15 minutes until everyone who wants to see the facility has seen it. Thank you for joining us for our grand opening. It is our hope that the Grayson Memorial Hospital for Emotional Wellness will bring those that truly need help back to who they were before they fell on harder times," he stated.

Jason took Dick by the wrist gently and led him inside. He grabbed two glasses and champagne and passed one over to his lover. 

"How are you doin' gorgeous?" Jason asked softly as he placed a kiss to Dick's cheek. 

Dick shrugged and sighed. "I'm okay. How long do we have to stay here?"

Jason glanced at his watch briefly. "Not long. Let's take our own private tour, okay? I want to show you something," he whispered. All Jason wanted was to bring that beautiful, happy smile back to Dick's face, but he wasn't sure his plan was going to work. 

They wandered around the main floors for a while before Jason punched in a code to a private access door and led Dick up a flight of stairs. 

"Jay where are we going? Shouldn't we be back with the rest of the family?" Dick frowned and looked back down the stairs. 

Jason smiled and hushed him. "Just trust me."

The door at the top of the stairs led to a large rooftop patio, decorated with couches, flower boxes, and a large pergola that was lit with glowing white string lights. Dusk was just setting in as Jason led Dick over to a table for two that had dome-covered dishes and candles along the top. 

"Join me for an early dinner?" Jason smiled as he pulled Dick's chair for him.

Jason had been up the entire night before perfecting this recipe for Dick in the hopes that he would see him smile. Once they were seated and some wine had been poured, Jason lifted the domes off of their plates.

Dick's eyes widened a little and he inhaled deeply, a soft smile growing on his face. "You made sărmăluţe just for me?" He asked, looking at the traditional Romanian dish of stuffed cabbage, served with whipped potatoes. 

Jason blushed and nodded. "Alfred helped me...he had the recipe that you saved of your Mom's," he whispered. 

The smile on Dick's face grew as he eagerly dug in to the food. "Oh little wing...it's just like Mama's," he murmured. Jason hadn't seen Dick eat with such fervor in months which gave him hope. After staring at his lover for a few moments longer, Jason ate as well, happy with how his cooking had come out. 

As dinner wrapped up, Jason took Dick's hand and ran his thumb lightly over the back of his skin. “Are you in the mood for dessert?” Jason asked, a smile quirking at his lips.

Dick nodded and took a sip of his wine. “I’d love some...this has turned into a beautiful night Jason. I feel more like myself than I have in months. Thank you,” he murmured. 

Jason took out a platter of pastries and set one down in front of Dick. On top of it was the ring that Dick had instructed Bruce to give to Jason upon his death. He cleared his throat and looked to Dick slowly.

“Jason...what--” Dick began but Jason held up a hand.

“You didn’t get to ask me the first time, but if you still feel like you want to marry me then ask me again now,” Jason murmured. “I’ve been wearing it around my neck, but I’d really like to wear it on my ring finger instead.”

When Dick simply sat there in silence for a few awkward seconds, Jason began to panic. “I mean if you don’t want that anymore I can just take it back,” He mumbled, feeling self conscious. 

But just when Jason thought he’d made a terrible mistake, he glanced up to see Dick down on one knee, holding up the ring that he had always meant to give to the love of his life. His hands trembled a bit as he reached forward and took Jason’s hand.

“I love you Jason. I know that when Damian brought me back, I lost some pieces of me but I never lost the love I feel for you. --I’m not ready to get married right away, but I’d be honored if you’d promise me a future,” Dick whispered.

Jason smiled and slipped the ring on his finger. “Just promise me one thing….”

Dick nodded and kissed Jason. “Anything, Jay.”

“Let’s get the hell out of this city for a while.”

Dick chuckled and nodded. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this! If you're looking for more Dick/Jay or just some general DC fanfiction, please check out my other works. You can find me on tumblr at brightestdaay where I am always available for prompts!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos & comments let me know how you're liking things so far! If you want to connect with me on tumblr, my un is brightestdaay. Thanks for reading!


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